Carpenter&#39;s framing tool



June 30, 1942. H. M. SMITH CARPENTERS FRAMING TOOL Filed June 30, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Harv/H6 June 30, 1942. SMITH 2,288,213

CARPENTERIS FRAMING TOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June so, 1941 swam Harry M .bmflh Patented June 30, 1942 UNITED sTATs ATiENT OFFICE GARPENTERS FRAMING TOOL Harry M. Smith, Seattle, Wash.

Application June 30, 1941, Serial No. 400,474

6 Claims.

My invention relates to the art of carpenters tools, and it particularly has for its object: to provide a framing tool of a simple, inexpensive construction that can be manufactured at low cost and will readily serve its intended purpose.

Further, it is an object of the invention to provide a tool for use in making accurate side marks or cuts on hip, valley, hip-jack and valleyjack rafters for either houses of uniform roof pitch or houses with a number of difierent kinds of pitches on the same roof.

Further, it is an object to provide a tool of the character described than can be set directly from the angles shown on the plans without the use of tables or calculated as explained in books on carpentry.

Again, it is an object to provide a tool of the character stated which can be used with equal facility for marking right or left hand cuts, as may be desired.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends the invention still further resides in the novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be first fully described in the following detailed description, and then be particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my tool.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the face of the tool opposite that shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an edge or end elevation of the tool shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal edge view of the tool.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the tool in use.

Figs. 6, '7 and 8 are detail views hereinafter specifically referred to.

In the drawings, in which like numerals and letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures, I is the base plate which is in the form of an elongated fiat body having a straight longitudinal edge 2 and an end edge I at right angles to the edge 2. Over a portion of the base plate I, and spaced from it by a spacer I, is another plate 3. The plate 3 may be an integral part of plate I or it may be made separately and permanently united, by welding or brazing, to plate I so as to continue the straight edge 2.

The space between plates I and 3 serves as a case for the bevel square blade 5. The blade 5 is pivoted on a bolt 4 that passes through lates I and 3 and blade 5 and carries a tension spring I 4, washer I5, and thumb nut I3. Plates l and 3 are cut out as at 6, 6* respectively, to give access to blade 5 when the same is encased.

Hinged at 9 to plate I is a fiat leaf 8, the hinge joint being such that it forms a part of the straight edge 2. The leaf 8 has a longitudinal slot I0 through which passes a bolt I2 that also passes through an aperture in a cross-bevel blade II, a washer I8, tension spring [1 and thumb nut I6 being provided on bolt I2 (Fig. 3).

Secured rigidly to the plate I at the edge opposite the hinge 9 and extending over the plates I and 8 in the arc of a circle, is a quarter-circle plate I9 having a slot 20 through which a stud bolt carried by the leaf 8 projects.

Leaf 8 is notched to receive plate l9 and has bevelled portions 8 to serve as pointers to the scales formed on the plate I9 to indicate degrees (Figs. 1, 4 and 5). The leaf 8 has a stud bolt 2| that projects through slot 20 and carries a tension spring 23, washer 23 and thumb nut 22 so that the leaf 8 may be held at any angle to plate 8, up to 90, as may be desired.

In Fig. 5 I have shown the tool as placed to provide for a left-hand cut, 26 being the pitch line or base line, and 2! the side out line. For right-hand cuts straight edge 2 is placed on pitch line 26*, as will be clear to those skilled in carpentry.

While the tool of my invention may have the quarter-circle plate I9 graduated, as indicated, the tool can be set for different pitches directly from the plans on which the pitch angles are drawn (see Figs. 7 and 8) by simply resting the hinge 9 and straight edges I and 8 on the paper and moving them apart or together until they line up with the diagram. Then by tightening nut 22 the tool will be firmly set.

Blade II may be slid with its pivot bolt I2 along slot II] to the most convenient position for use.

Operation In practice a steel carpenters square is usually used to measure the length of rafters and to mark the plate cut and pitch cut at the ridge pole. Afer the pitch line (26 or 26 Fig. 5) has been marked on the rafter, I place the gauge with plate I fiat against the rafter and with straight edge 2 along the pitch line (say 26 in Fig. 5). Of course the plate 8 must be set to the proper pitch angle with plate I and made fast. Then blade I I is brought down with its edge flat on the side of the rafter and side out line 21 is laid off along the blade edge.

Ordinarily the blade 8 is set to the angle of 45, which works on all pitches where the houses have one pitch on one roof. Where houses have more than one pitch on the roof, the tool is set The blade 5 is used as an ordinary bevel square for taking bevels and for reverse bevels.

The tool can be used in many different ways for marking degrees and bevels on different shapes of lumber, as for example that shown in Fig. 6, Where line 26 may be considered the base line and 21 the line to be marked on the inclined end of the timber.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought that the construction, operation and advantages of my invention will be clear to those skilled in the art to which it relates.

What I claim is:

1. A carpenters framing tool comprising a fiat elongated body having a longitudinal straight edge and an end straight edge normal thereto, a leaf plate hinged along one longitudinal edge to the straight edge side of said body, the hinge joint forming a part of the first mentioned straight edge, said leaf plate having an end straight edge normal to the first mentioned straight edge and in the same plane as the first mentioned end straight edge, a slotted quadrant plate rigidly secured at one end to the edge of the body opposite the longitudinal straight edge of the body and projecting across the leaf plate, a stud bolt secured to said leaf plate and projecting through the slot of said quadrant plate,

a thumb nut on said bolt to secure the leaf plate to the quadrant plate, and a cross-bevel plate pivoted to said leaf plate and lying fiat against the same.

2. A carpenters framing tool comprising a fiat elongated body having a longitudinal straight edge and an end straight edge normal thereto, a leaf plate hinged along one longitudinal edge to the straight edge side of said body, the hinge joint forming a part of the first mentioned straight edge, said leaf plate having an end straight edge normal to the first mentioned straight edge and in the same plane as the first mentioned end straight edge, a slotted quadrant plate rigidly secured at one end to the edge of the body opposite the longitudinal straight edge of the body and projecting across the leaf plate, a stud bolt secured to said leaf plate and projecting through the slot of said quadrant plate, a thumb nut on said bolt to secure the leaf plate to the quadrant plate, and a cross-bevel plate pivoted to said leaf plate and lying fiat against the same, said leaf plate having a longitudinal slot and the pivot of the cross-bevel plate being slidable with the plate along said slot, and means to secure the cross-bevel plate against sliding when desired.

3. A carpenters framing tool comprising a flat elongated body having a longitudinal straight edge and an end straight edge normal thereto, a leaf plate hinged along one longitudinal edge to the straight edge side of said body, the hinge joint forming a part of the first mentioned straight edge, said leaf plate having an end straight edge normal to the first mentioned straight edge and in the same plane as the first mentioned end straight edge, a slotted quadrant plate rigidly secured at one end to the edge of the body opposite the longitudinal straight edge of the body and projecting across the leaf plate, a stud bolt secured to said leaf plate and projecting through the slot of said quadrant plate, a thumb nut on said bolt to secure the leaf plate to the quadrant plate, and a cross-bevel plate pivoted to said leaf plate and lying flat against the same, said body having a pocket and a bevelsquare blade mounted in said pocket and pivoted at one end to said body.

4. A carpenters framing tool comprising a flat elongated body having a longitudinal straight edge and an end straight edge normal thereto, a leaf plate hinged along one longitudinal edge to the straight edge side of said body, the hinge joint forming a part of the first mentioned straight edge, said leaf plate having an end straight edge normal to the first mentioned straight edge and in the same plane as the first mentioned end straight edge, a slotted quadrant plate rigidly secured at one end to the edge of the body opposite the longitudinal straight edge of the body and projecting across the leaf plate, a stud bolt secured to said leaf plate and projecting through the slot of said quadrant plate, a thumb nut on said bolt to secure the leaf plate to the quadrant plate, a cross-bevel plate pivoted to said leaf plate and lying fiat against the same, said leaf plate having a longitudinal slot and the pivot of the cross-bevel plate being slidable with the plate along said slot, and means to secure the cross-bevel plate against sliding when desired, said body having a pocket and a bevelsquare blade mounted in said pocket and pivoted at one end to said body.

5. A carpenters framing tool comprising a fiat elongated body having a longitudinal straight edge and an end straight edge normal thereto, a leaf plate hinged along one longitudinal edge to the straight edge side of said body, the hinge joint forming a part of the first mentioned straight edge, said leaf plate having an end straight edge normal to the first mentioned straight edge and in the same plane as the first mentioned end straight edge, a slotted quadrant plate rigidly secured at one end to the edge of the body opposite the longitudinal straight edge of the body and projecting across the leaf plate, a stud bolt secured to said leaf plate and projecting through the slot of said quadrant plate, a thumb nut on said bolt to secure the leaf plate to the quadrant plate, and a cross-bevel plate pivoted to said leaf plate and lying flat against the same, said leaf plate having a recess in its free longitudinal edge to receive said quadrant plate.

6. A carpenters framing tool comprising a flat elongated body having a longitudinal straight edge and an end straight edge normal thereto, a leaf plate hinged along one longitudinal edge to the straight edge side of said body, the hinge joint forming a part of the first mentioned straight edge, said leaf plate having an end straight edge normal to the first mentioned straight edge and in the same plane as the first mentioned end straight edge, a slotted quadrant plate rigidly secured at one end to the edge of the body opposite the longitudinal straight edge of the body and projecting across the leaf plate, a stud bolt secured to said leaf plate and projecting through the slot of said quadrant plate, a thumb nut on said bolt to secure the leaf plate to the quadrant plate, and a cross-bevel plate pivoted to said leaf plate and lying fiat against the same, said leaf plate having a recess in its free longitudinal edge to receive said quadrant plate and having its edges adjacent said recess bevelled to form pointers and said quadrant plate having degree graduations with which said pointers cooperate.

HARRY M. SMITH. 

